Maybe I’m nuts for thinking about it so far in advance. I’m just really not looking forward to it. Not. One. Bit.

In other news, this stuff rocks. In fact, I wish you would try this so much that I’d actually come over your house, ingredients and all, and make it for you; you know, if that kind of thing wasn’t weird. Anyhow, I’m not exactly ready to go on a worldwide Zucchini Alfredo crusade. Not yet 😉

But nonetheless, give this a try. It will change the way you look at zucchini. It’ll change the way you look at cashews. It might even change the way you look at everything.

Zucchini Alfredo

Makes four servings

Note: This recipe uses a spiralizer. If you don’t have one, just use a vegetable peeler to peel your zucchini into long, ribbon-like strips for the “noodles.”

Ingredients:

1 large zucchini (or two small), peeled

1 ½ c peas, steamed

2 c broccoli florets, steamed

Sauce:

1 med-large yellow or white onion, chopped

8-10 cloves garlic, chopped

¼ c olive oil

1 c raw cashews, soaked for 3-4 hours

½ cup vegan parmesan substitute (I used GoVeggie, the one in the shaker)

½ c unsweetened almond milk

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt/pepper (to taste)

Spiralize (or peel-see note) your zucchini and place “noodles” in a colander or strainer and sprinkle with a few pinches of salt, and mix. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, place olive oil, onion and garlic over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent (about 5-10 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, scoop ONLY THE ONIONS AND GARLIC into a high-powered blender. Discard the excess oil, making sure the pan is near-dry (you’ll need the pan later). In that same blender, place the cashews, vegan parm, almond milk, and lemon juice and blend until smooth.

Remove your zucchini noodles from the strainer and put them in the saucepan, along with the peas, broccoli, and sauce. Stir to coat everything and heat for about 5-10 minutes, until warm.